7 High-Energy Snacks to Help You Power Through the Day

Some afternoons are specifically designed to make us want a nap. Lunch has long gone, dinner is still hours away, and, now, the vending machine is looking unusually persuasive.

The right snack can help bridge that gap. Instead of relying on a quick blast of sugar, reaching for something with protein, fiber, or healthy fats can give our snack a little more staying power.

Fortunately, high-energy snacks don't have to be complicated. Here are seven easy snacks for energy when the afternoon slump comes calling.

1. Apple and Peanut Butter

There's a reason this combination has survived countless school lunches.

Apples give us carbohydrates and fiber, while peanut butter brings protein and healthy fats. A fiber-rich carbohydrate can also be more satisfying when we eat it with protein or a healthy fat.

Best of all, it requires approximately zero culinary ambition. Slice, spread, eat.

2. Greek Yogurt and Berries

Greek yogurt packs quite a bit of protein into a small container. Add berries, and we get fiber and a little natural sweetness, too. 

Together, they make an easy snack when lunch is disappearing in the rearview mirror, but dinner is nowhere in sight. For an afternoon pick-me-up, that's a pretty convincing little bowl.

3. Hummus and Whole-Grain Crackers

Hummus isn't just there to make raw vegetables more exciting.

Made primarily from chickpeas, it brings plant-based protein to the table, while whole-grain crackers give us complex carbohydrates and fiber.

This is also one of those healthy energy snacks that can easily live in an office refrigerator until 3 pm hunger strikes.

4. Homemade Trail Mix

Trail mix can pack plenty of fuel into a handful, especially when we make our own.

Unsalted nuts and unsweetened dried fruit are an easy place to start. The fruit provides carbohydrates, while the nuts add in protein, fiber, and healthy fats.

A simple homemade trail mix is also easy to portion into a container and toss into a work bag. That's probably a good idea, too, because trail mix has a remarkable ability to keep disappearing even after we've stopped feeling hungry.

5. Hard-Boiled Egg and Whole-Grain Crackers

A hard-boiled egg may not be the most glamorous resident of the refrigerator, but it makes a wonderfully convenient snack.

Add a few whole-grain crackers, and we have protein, carbohydrates, and fiber in something that takes almost no effort to prepare.

You can boil a few eggs ahead of time, giving afternoon hunger one less chance to duel with the vending machine.

6. Cottage Cheese and Fruit

Cottage cheese has made quite the comeback, and its protein content helps explain why it keeps turning up in snack ideas.

A half-cup of low-fat cottage cheese can provide a little more than 10 grams of protein. The fruit adds some sweetness and fiber without turning the whole thing into dessert.

Peaches, pineapple, berries, or whatever happens to be in the refrigerator will do nicely.

7. Banana and Nut Butter

Bananas have long been one of those familiar foods that give you energy, thanks largely to their carbohydrates.

You can add some peanut or almond butter for protein and healthy fats. 

It's easy to pack, requires no cooking, and can rescue us from making increasingly desperate decisions near the office vending machine. Sometimes, the simplest snacks are absolutely the answer.

Build a Snack That Lasts

A candy bar or sugary drink may provide a quick burst when we're dragging, but simple sugars are absorbed quickly, which can make that burst short-lived.

So, we don't need an elaborate snack-prep routine to do better. Fruit, whole grains, protein, and healthy fats give us plenty of options for snacks for afternoon energy without turning snack time into another project.

The 3 pm slump may still show up. But, now, we can have snacks waiting for it.

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